Business owners fed up with vandalism

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Businesses along Stokes Street in Huntsville say that they have been dealing with an increasing homeless population that seems to only be getting worse.

Norman Vess is the owner of Beacon Construction Company on Stokes Street. He has a laundry list of everything from vandalism to the door of his building, to trash found in the back of his pickup truck.

“I pulled my truck out of here because I got tired of cleaning the garbage out of it that they just come and throw in the back of my truck,” Vess explained.

His business is adjacent to First Stop, a homeless nonprofit dedicated to helping people while they live on the street.

Vess said he understands that First Stop is doing the best that it can, but he and other business owners have seen the unhoused population grow and they say that it’s hurting their business.

“There’s people laying all over the building and there is a lot of trash here,” said Vess.

“It’s not great for business because the people we do business with see that it’s full of trash,” said Glen Born, also a business owner on Stoke Street.

Two years ago, officials with Huntsville shut down the Derrick Street homeless camp just blocks from First Stop.

The area is now commonly known as ‘The Slab’ and business owners think that that shutdown is contributing to the issues that they are experiencing right now.

“Now the homeless started filling up the street and First Stop kind of fills up all of our parking,” said Born.

Vess says he has called the police several times for assistance, but he is pleading with Huntsville city officials for help before the situation becomes more dangerous.

“They should make people stay over there and keep their garbage cleaned up. I don’t know what else to do,” Vess said.

News 19 reached out to the City of Huntsville to learn more about these complaints but has not heard back.

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